Spring-hinge.



W. J. KEENE.

SPRING HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED 1111.3, 1911.

puin

ion.

V/'ILLIAM J. KEENE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICAGO SPRING BUTT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CCRPORATION.

Application Ied January 3, 1911.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. Knaur, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful l'n'iprovements in Spring-Hinges, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

The invention relates to spring hinges for doors and the like and having means whereby the spring may be thrown out of operation so that the door, instead of being returned to closed position by the spring, can remain in open position.

More particularly the invention .seeks to improve the construction set forth in an application tiled in the United States Patent @ffice by George lV. Schuster and myself, December 31, 1909, Serial No. 535,740.

The invention' seeks to provide an improved plunger and lever mechanism by which the locking detent. for the spring actuated spindle of the hinge can be more readily released, and in which the operating levers are normally held out of the way closely against the sides of the casing on the door. The invention consists in the features of improvement hereinafter set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the lower corner of a doorand door frame with the improved hinge applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale with parts of the hinge shown in vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a vert-ical section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

The hinge member or casing, that is mounted upon the door, and the floor plate, which constitutes the other member of the hinge, are similar in construction to those set forth in the prior application above referred to. The casing is preferably opcnsided and comprises vertical members 1 and 2 connected at their upper and lower ends by cross pieces 3 and 4. This casing is adapted to be mounted in the mortised corner of the door 5 and is provided with vertical and horizontal extensions 6 and 7 which are adapted to be set within rabbets or grooves in the edges of the door and which are perforated to receive screws 8 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

Serial No. 600,483.

by which the hinge casing is secured to the door.

The hinge spindle 9 is mounted in the casing and is journaled at its upper and lower ends in the cross pieces 3 and 4. rlhe weight of the door is preferably sustained upon a row of balls 10 arranged within a socket in the upper cross pieces 3 and engaging' the upper end of the spindle 9. The hinge spring 11 is coiled about. t-he spindle 9 and is fastened at its ends to collars 12 and 13. The collar 12 has projecting lugs 14 and 15 on its upper and lower faces which are adapted to engage the lugs 16 and 17 mounted respectively upon the hinge casing and on the spindle. Thel collar 18 is provided with a series of openings 18 adapt-- ed to .receive a pin 19. The outer end of this pin is arranged to engage a shoulder 20 on the portion 1 of the hinge casing and its inner end projects within a slot 21 in the spindle 9 and engages a shoulder on the spindle at one end of this slot.

The lower end of the spindle is removablv seated and journaled in a suitable socket 22 formed in the floor plate 23. Immediately above the flange of the socket 22, the spindle is provided with a notched shoulder 24 and a vertically movable detent 25 eccentrically mounted in a suitable opening in the floor plate is arranged to engage the notch of the shoulder and normally hold the spindle against rotation. A leaf spring 26 arranged within the socket plate 23 is secured thereto at one end by a screw 27. The opposite end of the spring engages the detent 25 and normally holds it in raised position and in engagement with the notch of the shoulder 24.

The spindle 9, as stated, is normally held against movement by the detent 25. Then the door is swung in one direction, the lug 16 on the upper end of the hinge casing engages the shoulder 14 on the collar 12 and, as the lower end of the spring is held against movement under such circumstances by the engagement of the pin 19 with the spindle, the spring 11 is wound up to return the door to its central closed position. l/Vhen the door is swung in the opposite direction, the engagement of the lug 17 on the spindle with the lug 15 on the collar 12 holds the upper end of the spring against movement, while its lower end is shifted to place the spring under tension by the engagement of the lug 20 on the hinge casing with the pin 19. By shifting the pin 19 in the welllrnown manner into any one of the holes 18, the tension of the spring can be adjusted. By disengaging the detent 25 in the notched shoulder 24, the spindle 9 rotates with t-he door and the spring is thrown out of operation so that thedoor remains in open position.

A plunger or trip member 28 is mounted to slide vertically in a suitable guideway 29 (see Fig. 3) formed in the outer side of the inner upright member 1 of the hinge casing. The plunger is also held in place by a vertical bar or strip 30 arranged parallel with the upright member 1 of the casing and suitably secured thereto at its upper and lower ends.

The plunger or trip member 2S is provided with a forwardly projecting portion or toe 31 which is arranged to engage the detent 25 at a point outside the shoulder 24 and thereby depress the detent to disengage it from the shoulder. The plunger is preferably spring held in raised position and for this purpose is provided with a longitudinal slot 32 within which is arranged a coiled spring 33. The upper end of the spring engages the upper end of the slot 32 and the lower end of the spring engages. a projection 34 on the bar 30 that extends wit-hin the lower end of the slot 32. The spring 33 thus normally upholds the plunger in raised position with the lower end of the slot 33 engaging the lug 34.

The plunger is operated by a pair oflevers A35 which are preferably arranged above the plunger and between the upright bars 1 and 30. These levers are somewhat lseshaped.` as shown, and are provided with substantially horizontal lower edges 37 which bear upon the upper end of the plunger 28. rilhe free ends of the levers project upwardly and out wardly in opposite directions from opposite sides of the hinge casing and their upper free ends are provided with lateral offsets 38, so that they may be readily operated with the foot or finger to shift the plunger 28 and disengage the detent 25.

The hinge casing is inclosed by a pair of thin, metal side plates 39 which are adapted to be fastened to the Opposite sides of the door 5 by screws 40. These side plates are provided with slots 41 through which the outer portions of the levers 35 project on opposite sides of t-he door and preferably also, the plates 39 are provided with depressed portions 42 opposite the ends 38 of the levers, so that the latter may be more readily engaged.

When either lever 35 is depressed, its lower, horizontal edge 37 acts upon the upper end of the plunger 2S to depress the saine and the toe port-ion 31 of the plunger then engages the detent 25 and disengages it from the shoulder 24. This releases the spindle 9 and operating spring 11, sot-hat both may be swung freely with the door when the latter is shifted to open position. Vhen this is done, the detent 2:5 engages the under face of the shoulder 24, and, inasmuch as the spring 11 is thrown out of operat-ion, the door will remain in open posit-ion. -`When the door is returned to normal central position, the spring 26 will automatically shift the detent 25 to rengage the notch of the shoulder 24 and, when the door is next opened, the spring 11 will operate to swing it back to closed position.

rlhe releasing plunger and its operating levers 35 cannot readily getout of order and are so arranged that considerable leverage and power may be easily exerted to disengage the detent 25. The levers are normally disposed closely adjacent the faces of the side plates 39 and will not mar the j amb of the door when the latter is opened. Even if they do engage the jamb they will be merely forced inwardly into the recesses 4.2 of the side plates 39. As either lever is shifted to operate the plunger, it moves outwardly, so that it can be readily engaged with the foot to quickly release the detent 25.

To prevent either of the levers 35 from dropping down too far when the other lever is operated, one of these levers is provided with an offset lug 44 and the other with a cooperating shoulder 45. These parts are normally spaced apart, as shown, so that either lever may be readily depressed to shift the plunger 23. The lug 44 and shoulder 45, however, constitute a lost motion connection between the levers, so that when one is operated lost motion between these parts is taken up and the other lever is thereby held up and cannot drop down into horizontal position. 1f the unoperated lever were not `thus held up it might drop into horizontal position and mar the door frame as the door is swung open.

1t is obvious that the details set fort-h may be varied without departure from the essentials as defined in the claims.

1 claim as my invention 1. A spring hinge comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a floor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and said plate, a coiled spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing, a detent on said floor plate for holding said spindle against movement, a plunger on said casing for releasing said detent, and an operating lever for said plunger pivoted on said casing and having a projecting free end, substantially as described.

2. A spring hinge comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a floor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and said plate, a double-acting spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing, a detent on said iioor plate for holding said spindle against movement, a vertically movable plunger arranged in a guide-way in said casing for releasing said detent, and a pair of operating levers for said plunger pivoted on said casing and having oppositely projecting free ends, substantially as described.

3. A spring hinge comprising -a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a socketed ioor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and in said floor plate and having a notch at its lowerend,a double-acting spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing, a vertically movable, spring actuated detent on said Hoor plate arranged to engage the notch of said spindle, a vertically movable plunger in said casing for releasing said detent, and a pair of levers for depressing said plunger pivoted in said casing and inclined upwardly and outwardly to opposite sides thereof, substantially as described.

4. A spring hinge comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a soclreted floor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and said floor plate and having a notched shoulder at its lower end, a double acting spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing, a spring actuated detent on said floor plate for engaging said notched shoulder, a vertically movable, spring actuated plunger on said casing for releasing said detent, and an L-shaped operating lever pivoted in said casing and having a shoulder bearing on said plunger and inclined upwardly and outwardly through the side of the casing, substantially as described.

5. A spring hinge comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a socketed ioor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and said floor plate, a double acting spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing, a detent for locking said spindle to said floor plate, a trip member on said casing for releasing said detent, and a. pair of operating levers pivoted in said casing and engaging said trip member and projecting outwardly to the opposite sides of said casing, substantially as described.

6. A spring hinge comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a socketed floor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and said floor plate and having a notched shoulder at its lower end, a double acting spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing, a detent on said iioor plate for engaging t-he notch of said shoulder, a vertically movable, spring held plunger mounted on said casing and arranged to engage and release said detent in the closed posit-ion of the door, a pair of operating levers for said plunger pivoted on said casing and projecting upwardly and outwardly from o pposite sides thereof, and a spring for restoring said detent when the door is returned to closed position, substantially as described.

7. A spring hinge comprising a casing adapted to be secured to the door, a floor plate, a spindle journaled in said casing and said floor plate, a double acting spring yieldingly connecting said spindle to said casing', a detent on said floor plate for holding said spindle against movement, a plunger on said casing for releasing said detent, and a pair of operating levers for said plunger pivoted on said casing and projecting outwardly therefrom in opposite directions said levers having a lost motion connection, substantially as described.

XVLLIAM J. KEENE.

lVitnesses HARRY L. CLAPP, KATHARINE GERLACH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

